Goodbye and Hello

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Dirks Hutchinson"]


Holding on tight, Norah was fairly certain Mom would have disapproved of the entire ride. Even with a helmet and Hutch at the helm. Part of her felt sick, although she didn't know if that was the motorcycle or general events as of recent. The landscape blurred by as she turned her head, everything looking like one giant mass after a bit.


After a bit, the bike slowly came to a stop at the condo. She wobbly got off, slowly removing the helmet. Her flame red hair was a mess and her little shoulders slumped, looking defeated. Part of her thought Hutch wasn't going back to the house. Wasn't going to hand her over to the lady from the funeral.


Ignoring everyone else, she went inside to hide out in her room. The adults were going to decide without asking her anyways.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Norah Kitts-Castillon"], [member="Dirks Hutchinson"]


Siobhan was not in a good mood. Perhaps she was being unfair, but she could not be expected to be enthusted about events and felt like an unwelcome intruder. Dells had long stopped being her friend, she was just a former subordinate whom Siobhan had sacked and, far as the Countess was concerned, hiring her had been a mistake in the first place.


She liked to think Dells had written the will and given her guardianship over Norah back when they were still friends, as tempting as thinking the contrary was. Dimly a part of Siobhan recognised that she was probably being selfish. After all, what mattered was Norah's welfare and she could not fault the girl for not at all being happy about a strange lady she did not know - and of whom she had probably learned nothing good from her mother - had suddenly been made her guardian. However, that had been Dells' responsibility.


While Norah and Hutch took off on the motorcycle, Siobhan took to the skies as well...without using a vehicle. There was a speeder and chauffeur waiting for her, but she felt like flying. Being up in the sky tended to help clear her mind a bit and she could find an outlet for her presently rather unpleasant mood since it cost a lot of energy. And so she shot into the air and took off like an organic rocket ship, levitating herself far above the ground. Not as fast as she used to when she was younger, but still enough that the wind whipped her hair and kissed her skin.


The landscape blurred as she swept past, and soon she had reached the condo, just after Norah and Hutch had arrived. Slowly she dropped down from the sky, her descent being slowed by the Force, and then her boots once again had solid ground under them. She took a deep breath and her fingers enclosed around her cane, then walked towards the condo.

 

[Alleycat]

As soon as they were inside the condo, [member="Norah Kitts-Castillon"] ran up to her bedroom. Dirks just let her be. The young girl probably needed to have some quiet time to digest everything. In fact, he himself could use some, but that wasn't to be the case.

The Rendili went into the kitchen and put a pot of fresh caf on. A drink was really what he desired, but Dirks needed to keep his wits about him more than numb them.

If things couldn't get weirder, [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] dropped out of the sky like a bird of prey and landed in the drive way. Dirks knew the Countess was a Force user; not a Jedi, but not a Sith either. Norah didn't need that kind of influence in her life. He sensed that there maybe a battle for the daughter of his friend. Hell… his best friend if what they shared in Dells last days were any indication. But… was he the right person to take on this most important task? Dirks was no saint or father type, or could he be the latter and clean up the first?

Damn you, Red!

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Dirks Hutchinson"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]


The main lawyer who was handling the case rubbed the back of his neck. Cases like this were never easy. His job was to dispense the contents of the will and be a mediator between everyone. Normally he just dealt with families fighting over money. Houses. Who got Aunt Millie's good china hutch and who had to deal with cleaning out the closets.


The lady he was supposed to be giving the redhead over to just...flew. Quite odd. Certainly a first in his practice. Seemed today was quite a bit of firsts in his years of practice.


Entering the condo, the smell of caf wafted out.


"I could use a cup myself." Morgan set down his datapad on the kitchen counter and opened it. "Seems you care a lot about that little girl. However...this appears written years ago sadly. It would be up to Countess Kerrigan to allow visitation or the like, something I would be happy to arrange."


"You're still taking the girl....right Countess?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Norah Kitts-Castillon"], [member="Dirks Hutchinson"]


Awkward City: Three inhabitants. Well, four if you counted the lawyer. Anyhow, Siobhan had landed and they had entered the condo. Norah was not there, and the Countess presumes the girl had gone to her room, which was something she could not blame her for. The flight had cleared Siobhan's mind a bit, or at least she hoped it had!


Did not make her feel any less like an intruder, but her mood was less foul. This was good because no one here deserved to be on the receiving end of her temper. The lawyer asked her whether she'd be taking Norah. "I'd like to discuss things with Mr Hutchinson - in private. For a few moments if that's fine," she said to the lawyer. Well, truth be told she did not care whether it was fine, but she was trying to be polite.


She did not know Hutch well, so it was fitting to talk with him a bit to see whether he could look after Norah. "I imagine that you probably see me as an intruder, getting in the way between you and Norah. But the situation is equally uncomfortable for me. I like to think Dells put me in her will back when we were still friends, except that was years ago and I guess it's safe to say Dells did not tell Norah a single good thing about me."

 

[Alleycat]

Dirks poured the lawyer a cup of caf as requested, then slipped off his suit jacket and lost the tie. He was rolling up the sleeves on his dress shirt when the woman asked [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] if she was still taking the girl. It sounded callous in nature as if [member="Norah Kitts-Castillon"] was just a piece of property to be discussed and not a young girl that had just lost her mother and who's life was going to be forever changed by this outcome. It made the Rendiili's insides boil, though he bit his tongue as the Countess seemed to take pause in her answer and wanted to talk to him in private.

After the lawyer took her caf and left them alone in the kitchen, the Countess started off the conversation talking about Delila. Dirks let out a big sigh, then replied.

"Dells insulated Norah from most things of her past so she doesn't know of you or the relationship you had, good or bad. Little Red knows me because in the last year her mother and I had mended fences and had become… close friends. I don't see you so much as an intruder, though I do want what is best for Dell's daughter presently. Listen I don't mean to be rude, Countess, but I think in order for Norah to grow past this, she'll need a lot of TLC. If you're just going to pawn her off on some nanny, then that isn't the best for her in my opinion. She needs to feel truly cared for, and secure. I know you can give her the secure part, but can you make her feel loved and not just an obligation? "

 

[Delila Castillon]

Norah scooted off her bed, hearing the voices of the adults in the small condo. [member="Dirks Hutchinson"] and [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] could be heard. Ginger eyebrows knitted in concentration, trying to figure out what was going on. Something about her mother from the dark haired woman. Keri-something, Norah couldn't fully remember her name. Hutch was chiming in too, asking the woman a question. She was only able to pick out a few parts of the conversation.


Reaching up, the little redhead cracked the door so she could hear better....

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Norah Kitts-Castillon"], [member="Dirks Hutchinson"]s


The lawyer was gone, which was good. Siobhan was not fond of lawyers. Awkward City now had two inhabitants since little Norah had gone into exile in her room! Regardless, the Countess poured herself a glass of water and then took a sip before sitting down on one of the chairs. You now, I think I like you, she thought after Hutch had said his piece. "I don't think you're being rude, Mr Hutchinsons. Frankly, I appreciate your candour. I prefer it to people being vague and pussying around," she said bluntly. Evasiveness tended to piss Siobhan off fast. Sometimes it complicated business negotiations.


"And I don't want to pawn her off to some nanny. That would be disgraceful for any parent. She needs an actual family. In other words, either you or me." This might have come across as just being a lot of hot air, but her tone seemed so earnest and vehement. Siobhan happened to have strong opinions about parenting.


"As for question, if I take care her with me, I'll care for her as much as I can. I'll try to make her feel welcome and loved. Can I replace Dells in her heart? No, she's her mother, but I'd care for her like a daughter of my own. I've spent the last couple years raising my own little angel - Galina. She was stranded on an arctic island for eight years while still a kid, I found her by chance. Poor thing had to survive on her own with only improvised weapons, but she did it. I've taken care of her, taught her Basic, held her at night when was afraid, she wants to go study Physics. I'm not saying this to 'brag' about my 'success' at parenting, just to show family's important to me."